A sworn translation enables an official document issued in one country to be recognised in another. Examples include a degree certificate, a last will and testament or a contract. It's not a "higher quality" translation, but rather one that's officially certified as having legal standing. Neither does it make a document valid in another country if it has no previous official standing in its country of origin.

To be accepted in Spain, sworn translations have to be completed by sworn translators approved by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs or other equivalent bodies of other EU countries. However things are not always that cut and dried: for example, a Spanish institution may reject a Dutch-Spanish translation written by a sworn translator with Dutch credentials, with all the inconvenience that that implies.

Things can get even more complicated outside the EU. If, for example, you want to do a translation of a document to be presented in Brazil, you can't contract a translator appointed by the Spanish Ministry of Foreign Affairs; you'd have to have the sworn translation done directly in Brazil or in another country that has a treaty with it, such as Portugal.

We have a lot of experience in sworn translations and access to an international network that enables us to respond to all kinds of needs. Tell us what you need.